Box or can



No. 625,626. Patented May 23, I899.

Y L. c. WITKDWSKI.

BOX 05 BAN.

' (Application filed. Mar. 6, 1899.)

(No Model.) 2

THE NOR m; PETER: C0 FNQYO-LITHD wumnurcm n c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS CHANDLER WITKOWS KI, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA,

ASSIGNOR TO THE CROWN SELF-OPENING CAN COMPANY, OF WEST VIRGINIA.

ox OR CAN. I

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 625,626 dated. May 23, 1899.

Application filed March 6 1899. Serial No. 707,966. (No model.) 7

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LOUIS CHANDLER W IT- KOWSKI, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boxes or Cans and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the 10 art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in boxes or cans and to said boxes orcans provided with means for opening the same and it consists of certain novel constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts, as will be hereinafterfully described and specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of a box or canconstructed in accordance with my invention and showing in dotted lines means for opening the same, thecanbeinginconditionforshipment. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same as it appears when being opened. Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the end of a can slightly modified in its construction to receive the opening means. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section through the same, and Fig. 5 represents portions of 0 two cans when packed one upon the other.

A in the drawings represents a box or can constructed in accordance with my invention and which is provided with a closed end a, which latter is formed with depression-points,

5 pockets, or recesses a, which depressionpoints are arrangedpreferably at different distances from the center of said end for the purpose now to be described. A can-opener B, constructed of -thin sheet-steel, is designed 0 to be shipped with the can, and said opener is provided with a pivot-point b and a penetrating-point b, as clearly shown in Fig.4. The opener B is made of such a length that it will fall within the circumference of the end of 5 the can, so as not to project beyond the same during transportation, but during the cutting-out operation projects beyond the said,

outer edge to form a handle. One of the pockets a is designed to receive the pivotpoint I) of the opener and the other pocket is designed to receive the penetrating-point b", so as to avoid all liability of the can being punctured .or any injury being done to the can packed on top. By arranging the pockets Fig. 1) and the cutting-point caused to pone trate the said end very close to the periphery thereof a greater length of the can-opener will project beyond the outer edge of the can than would be the case if the pockets or recesses were arranged at equal distances from the center-that is, concentrically theretoas is obvious, and for this reason it is very important that the pockets'be arranged in this manner, and I regard it as an important feature of my'invention. The same object would be accomplished by constructingacon tinuous groove, recess, or pocket 0 eccentric ally to the center of the end, as shown in Fig. 3, whereby two depressions would be secured.

In order to retain the can-opener in position on the can and avoid any liability of the same becoming disconnected therefrom and lost, the same may be held in place in any suitable manner-as, for instance, by a label D, as shown in Fig. 1, or by having another can placed on top of the same, as illustrated in Fig. 5.

Where a label is employed, the same would be found convenient for having printed on it the directions for opening the can, and where means are employed for holding the cutter in position on the can I do not wish to limit my invention to depression-points being arranged eccentrically, as I believe I am the first inventor of a box or can provided with pockets or recesses to receive the pivot-point and cutting-point of a can-opener, said opener being designed to be shipped with the can and which is held in place in said pockets during transportation. I

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A box or can provided With a closed end, point and a cutting-point which rest in the which latter is formed With depression-points depression-points or pockets, and means for or pockets at unequal distances from the cenholding the said points in said depressionter, one of said depression-points being for points, during transportation, substantially I 5 5 the reception of the point of a cutter and the as described.

other for the reception of the pivot-point of a In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my can-opener, substantially as described. signature in presence of two Witnesses.

2. A boX or can having a closed end which LOUIS CHANDLER WITKOWSKI. is formed with depression-points or pockets, Witnesses: 10 a knife or cutter located on said end, said JOHN L. FLETCHER,

knife or cutter being provided with a pivot- EDWARD T. FENWIOK. 

